


Redecorating

by atonalremix



Series: A Normal Life [4]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 08:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4214664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atonalremix/pseuds/atonalremix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jenna & Alaric get married, they decide to redecorate the Gilbert house - and Elena reflects on just how much everything's changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Redecorating

As soon as Jenna and Alaric returned from their honeymoon, they proceeded to redecorate. As they now resided in Mom and Dad's space, they wanted to "banish the ghosts" that seemingly lingered through the walls. You figured, you weren't the only one terrified by Mom and Dad's unspoken and unseen presence. 

Neither Jenna nor Alaric could afford major changes - academic salaries weren't what they used to be - so they had re-arranged the furniture and given the open space a fresh coat of light yellow paint. Yellow allowed the natural light in, Aunt Jenna claimed as she had stepped back to admire her handiwork. You silently agreed. Yellow was a brand-new canvas that allowed them to make their own memories. It also reminded you less of Mom and Dad's old green room, painted to better blend in with Dad's favorite forests. (You half-wondered if Dad had never moved because he loved nature too much. If either you or Jeremy wanted to camp, you didn't have to travel far.) 

Little by little, the rest of your house was starting to change.

Jeremy had pulled out the posters from his middle-school days, replacing them with ones more relevant to his interests. You'd even changed the photographs on your corkboard, tucking new ones of your friends - even Bonnie and Anna - beside your mirror. Alaric's knickknacks were scattered across the home, as were reminders of his life pre-Mystic Falls: pictures of his parents, his relatives, and even his childhood dog made it into your living room table. Jenna's and Alaric's wedding portrait even hung in the den, right beside Mom's and Dad's.

Time was the only real constant, you supposed. You couldn't rely on your house to remain a time capsule of 2009 if you were growing and changing too. 

Alaric caught you lingering in the den one afternoon, as he and Jeremy were hanging up new pieces of art from a gallery in Boston. (Damon had recommended it - apparently one of his old college friends owned it.) They were landscapes of the Boston skyline, with vaguely familiar buildings you'd seen when you had last visited Stefan at Harvard. The sunset had illuminated them and the Charles River perfectly, reminding you of the city that most of your boys loved all too dearly. 

Once the last piece was hung, Alaric slung an arm over your shoulder. "What do you think?" 

You shrugged. "They look nice." 

He raised an eyebrow at you. "Nice? That's all you have to say?" 

They _were_ nice. You weren't lying: Alaric had good taste in art. But they weren't what Mom and Dad would've purchased. Mom and Dad would've purchased more abstract art, the kind that made their couches and lamps pop with color. They wouldn't have thought about lush landscapes of the ocean or of downtown Boston. (Dad wasn't even remotely interested in Boston, let alone enough to purchase art of Alaric's and Stefan's beloved city.) 

Taking your silence as an answer, Alaric let out a sigh. "Here I thought you liked my taste. I can't exactly ship this back to Boston without him getting all pissed at me." 

"Why would you ship it back?" You wrinkled your nose at him. "It looks nice." 

"Again with the nice! You've gotta be more specific, Elena." 

So you scrutinized the paintings. Sure, they didn't exactly make the lamps or the couches pop with color like Mom's older abstract art pieces. They instead ushered in a calmer environment, providing a conversation starter during house parties and the inevitable weekend guests. 

"They're soothing," you conceded, pulling Alaric's arm down so that you could hold onto his hand. "Did you really pick them out yourself?" 

Jeremy was snickering from his position near the kitchen doorway. "See? I told you they weren't like you." 

Alaric scowled. "With family like you, who needs critics?"

Family? 

They were related, technically. Ever since Jenna and Alaric had exchanged vows, he had become your legal guardian, promising to guide you and Jeremy through your tumultuous twenties. He had never asked for this kind of responsibility, and some days, you could see the weight burdening his shoulders. Bit by bit, he had opened himself up to you all, and sure, your house was more than big enough for a family. But up until this moment, you had never really considered him your uncle. (It was like considering Damon or Mason uncles - logically, it made sense, but they were more big brothers than uncles.)

"We're keeping you grounded," you managed to say, struggling to hold back your laughter. "What happens if you decide to buy more Boston paintings?" 

"Yeah, Ric. You can't exactly move back to Foxborough," Jeremy teased back. 

Reflexively, Alaric insisted, "I'm from _Boston_." 

You and Jeremy couldn't fight your laughter anymore. Even though you were certain that Alaric was scowling harder than he had in the three or so years he had known you, you couldn't help it - nor could you exactly help the tight hug you pulled them into. For the first time since Mom and Dad died, you couldn't feel them. You suspected, you no longer needed their silent approval.

Alaric lightly kissed your forehead as he let go. "Come on, we've got a lot of work to do." 

You allowed yourself one last look at Mom and Dad's wedding portrait before rushing upstairs. Sure, you had a lot of work to do - but no longer would you weigh yourself down in memories. Family never truly left each other behind: sometimes, they just grew a little larger, renovating spaces to accommodate their needs. 

"Thanks, Mom and Dad," you murmured to them as you opened your bedroom door. "But I think I've - no, _we've_ got it from here."

**Author's Note:**

> While this is technically part of A Normal Life (and actually takes place AFTER the fic ends), it doesn't deviate much from canon beyond Jenna & Alaric's marriage - and ultimately, giving these four the fluffy lives they deserved to have.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed this, and as always, please let me know how I'm doing, be it through kudos or comments. o/


End file.
